Whately ZBA Schedules Executive Session as Dollar General Permit Hits Hearing 14

WHATELY — June 29, 2026 — Whately Zoning Board continues Dollar General special permit to July 14, schedules first-ever executive session. The board convened June 29 for its fourteenth continuation of Colleto Development's application for a 9,100-square-foot retail building on Route 116, hearing peer-review findings on both stormwater drainage and traffic before deferring a final decision. Stormwater peer reviewer Bucky Sparkle told the board that additional June 15 soil test pits confirmed groundwater separation of more than four feet — exceeding the applicable standard — though board member Ellie pressed for formal soil logs, which the applicant agreed to submit as a supplemental filing. Traffic peer reviewer Matt of Tighe & Bond said a 16-point review of Bowman's traffic study found only minor corrections that did not alter conclusions, estimating roughly 41 peak-hour round trips with acceptable levels of service, while several board members questioned whether Wednesday-Thursday April counts captured Friday-afternoon congestion near UMass. Town Counsel Michael Dortenzio briefed the board on active Land Court litigation over the town's 1975 driveway-separation bylaw, and applicant's Attorney Hill stipulated on the record that a grant of the special permit would prompt dismissal of that suit with prejudice. A motion to close the public hearing failed for lack of a second; the hearing was continued to Tuesday, July 14, at 6:30 p.m., opening with an executive session on litigation strategy — the board's first — before the public session at 7:00 p.m.